Porta-Pinball is intended to run on all Pocket PCs as well
as any Palm-Size Windows CE devices supported by GAMEX, an unofficial
game development library.

Download the appropriate setup program for your device's operating
system version. The following table lists some popular devices
and the setup program required. All processor types for a given
operating system are bundled together in one setup program. The
setup programs are available at a number of popular web sites
that are tailored to users of Windows CE and Pocket PC devices.
Some devices listed below may not be supported, since only a
subset were available for testing. Tested devices are listed
on the Porta-Pinball homepage.

After downloading the setup program, carefully follow the
install instructions below. Pocket PC users may also need to
download
GAPI from Microsoft and copy gx.dll for the appropriate
processor type to the \Windows directory of the Pocket PC device,
unless it already exists there. Windows CE 2.11 users do not
need GAPI.

All PocketPC 2002 and newer devices are ARM based. Most come with
with gx.dll already installed.

Install

1) Run the setup program on your Windows 95/98/ME/XP/NT/2000
desktop. The setup program will detect the appropriate processor
type and install PortaPin.exe and related graphics and sound
files in a directory on your Pocket PC or Windows CE device.

Note: If directory permissions on Windows NT/2000 prevent
you from running the setup program or if you connect to the Internet
with your handheld, a CAB file containing
the Porta-Pinball files can be copied or downloaded directly
to your Pocket PC or Palm-Size PC device and extracted there.

2) If you have a Pocket PC, ensure that gx.dll is present
in the \Windows directory (DLL files are hidden in the Pocket
PC File Explorer application, so you will need to connect to
a desktop system and use the desktop File Explorer to check).
This DLL is part of GAPI, an official game development library
available from Microsoft, and is usually either included on your
Pocket PC or provided on a bundled CD-ROM. If necessary, you
can download
it from Microsoft and copy it to your device. Palm-Size PCs
running Windows CE 2.x do not require a DLL; GAMEX is compiled
into the binary. If you own a Compaq Aero 1500 or 2100 series
that has been upgraded from Windows CE 2.11 to Pocket PC 3.0,
you may need to try both. I have received positive reports from
users with an Aero 2100 series using the Pocket PC version of
Porta-Pinball and a special unofficial
gx.dll for the upgraded Aero 21xx series written by Julian
Ortiz. If Porta-Pinball crashes soon after starting, you may
have an older version of GAPI. Download version 1.2 or better
from Microsoft.

3) On the HP Jornado series, you must enable HP Game Buttons
from the PocketPC Settings menu or the application launch keys
will not be usable as Porta-Pinball controls. Casio and Compaq
devices do not have such a setting nor do they need it.

5) Run Porta-Pinball. If you experience any problems or if
you do not have any problems and your device is not listed as
being compatible on the Porta-Pinball homepage, please notify
webmaster@pocket.iwarp.com.

Version

The current version of Porta-Pinball is the initial public
release, version 1.04.

Porta-Pinball and
these pages are Copyright 2001 by Timothy Hartley. Please link
only to the Porta-Pinball home page. Please do not link to graphics
or binaries on these pages, as that would violate the terms of
my service provider.